Day After Report: Week 7

The Camas Papermakers still have not played a close game this year. However, the Papermakers will tell you they had to work for Friday night’s win over rival Union. The Camas-Union game was the biggest on the schedule for Southwest Washington this week, so this Day After Report will be heavy on the Camas-Union notes.

But there are other things going on in the region.

Battle Ground and Skyview both won Friday night, setting up a Week 8 matchup that could determine a playoff spot. (Skyview faces Union and Battle Ground plays Camas in Week 9, so we won’t know for certain. Just saying, next week is big for the Tigers and the Storm.)

Over in the 3A Greater St. Helens League, it still appears that Columbia River and Mountain View are on a collision course for a winner-take-league, Week 9 showdown.

In 2A, Washougal rallied for a win over Aberdeen, while Hockinson fell short against R.A. Long.

In the Trico, it is still all Woodland or all La Center all the time. Those teams have been destined for undefeated vs. undefeated in Week 9 since, oh, last November.

But enough about all that, this was Camas v. Union week. On with those notes first ….

CAMAS 44, UNION 6
Two teams ranked in the top 10 in state. Only one is ranked No. 1, though. With good reason.

Don’t blink:
Union got the ball first and picked up a first down on the second play of the night. The drive stalled, but then punter Tyler Dionne unleashed a monster, the ball traveling 64 yards before being downed at the Camas 1-yard line.

Zero-zero score, and Camas is starting at its 1-yard line. Something for Union to build on, right? Not exactly.

Nate Beasley’s first carry of the night went for 48 yards. His second carry went for eight yards, and then Union was penalized 15 more yards for a face mask, putting the ball on the Union 28-yard line. On the next play, the Papermakers gave Beasley a break and quarterback Reilly Hennessey found James Price wide open for a touchdown pass.

Three plays. Ninety-nine yards. Dare I say, Game Over?

Of course, it wasn’t really over, but that sequence sure crushed some Union buzz.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Titans fumbled on the first play of their next drive. Camas would add a field goal to make it 10-0, just like that.

Haunting memories:
Actually, that field goal was not such a good thing for Camas. Sure, the Papermakers got some points. But they started at Union’s 12-yard line. They were hoping for a touchdown.

Camas coach Jon Eagle told me after the game that his mind went back to 2009 when Camas led Union by 17 points in the fourth quarter, only to lose.

So on Friday at this time, Eagle was still thinking every point was going to be needed. S0, yes, he had some concern when the Union defense stopped the Papermakers on three plays. Union linebacker Alex Berfanger had a sack for a loss of nine yards in that stretch.

Which might be why the coaches put him on offense from time to time. Vailea picked up his second touchdown of the season, blasting into the end zone from a yard out to make it 24-0 with 4 minutes left in the first half.

Union scores:
The Titans gave the Papermakers something to think about at halftime with an eight-play, 48-yard touchdown drive just before the end of the first half to make it 24-6. Quarterback Nolan Henry was 4 for 4 for 36 yards and he also caught a pass from running back Leon Siofele. It was Siofele who ended up scoring, taking it home on a 2-yard run. That was Siofele’s 15th rushing touchdown of the season.

There was no carryover with the momentum for Union. Camas opened the second half with a four-play, 72-yard touchdown drive that took all of 58 seconds.

Camas defense came plenty ready:
Union’s first five drives ended with four punts and a turnover. The Camas defense was just as tough in the second half. Maybe even better.

The Titans gained 7, 4, 7, and 2 yards on their first four possessions of the second half. With 5:11 left in the game, Union still had not managed 100 yards of offense.

“Getting the calls right, and staying confident and positive about what we’re doing out there,” Vailea said. “That’s basically the key to our defense.”

Up 44-6, the Camas starters came out of the game. Union would pick up 50 yards in that final five minutes to finish with 142 for the night. It was 72 yards in the first half, 70 in the second.

Oh, and Union is a solid football team, everybody. Those numbers just show you how good Camas played Friday night.

QB hurt:
Union QB Nolan Henry’s game came to an end after the Titans’ second possession of the second half. He was replaced by sophomore Nate Kuratli.

Union coach Cale Piland said he did not think Henry’s injury was serious, adding that he expects Henry to play next week.

When Henry came out, it was 31-6. Piland said there was no reason to keep a banged-up Henry in the game at that point.

Rivals:
The Papermakers say it every week. They prepare for a “faceless” opponent, focus on just getting better, not worrying about the other team.

Yeah right.

Not this week. The Titans were not “faceless.”

“Union gives us a little more of that X-factor, that extra push,” said Beasley, who finished with 189 yards on 16 carries.

“It makes it special playing our rival,” said Cole Zarcone, who rushed for 79 yards. “Every game is special. This one makes it more special.”

The quarterback agreed.

“There isn’t quite a feeling like beating Union,” Hennessey said.

The game was played in front of a packed house. Every seat seemed filled, on both sides of the field. There were extra seats brought in, and those were filled, too. A lot of people stood outside the ropes, as well.

“I’m happy for high school football in Southwest Washington, for an atmosphere for kids to be a part of something like this,” Camas coach Jon Eagle said.

Closer than the score:
This was the first time all season the Papermakers did not manage to get to a 40-point lead. And even though the final margin of victory was 38 points, Hennessey said his team had to work for everything against the Titans.

Hennessey got sacked a couple of times, including that one in the first quarter when the game was still tight.

“We had to grind. The scoreboard doesn’t show it, but they were after us,” Hennessey said. “We had to get up a few times and get back and battle. I’m so proud of our team. We faced some adversity, and we overcame.”

The coach even gave credit to last season’s win over Union for helping to achieve this season’s victory. Camas shut out Union 22-0 in 2012.

“Union last year forced us to turn the next page in our playbook,” Eagle said. “They might not know it, but they made us get better as a team.”

Drewwwwwwwwwwww:
Lineman Drew Clarkson returned to the lineup. He did not play in last week’s win over Evergreen.

“It was so nice having Drew back,” Hennessey said. “He brings not just his presence, but an energy to the offensive line.”

With the line clicking, the running backs running, and the quarterback passing, the Papermakers amassed 501 yards on 63 plays.

Honest Zach Eagle:
It seems like I reserve a spot for wide receiver Zach Eagle every week in this report. Well, frankly, he deserves it. He did not score against Union. In fact, he “only” has three receiving touchdowns this season. But I don’t think it is a stretch to say he is one of the best wide receivers in the state. The guy gets open just about every play. His hands are superb. And then, just try to tackle him.

Friday, he caught six passes for 87 yards. He had two catches for 47 yards on Camas’ four-play, 72-yard drive to open the second half. The guy might not be scoring a lot of touchdowns, but he sets up a bunch every week.

Oh, and he also was nice enough to admit to me that he did not get his third interception of the game last week. You might recall that one of my colleagues who covered the Camas game last week noted in the Day After Report that he believed Eagle had an interception, only the officials ruled it incomplete. Some, including my colleague, questioned the call. I was told everyone in the press box thought Eagle had the pick.

Well, earlier this week, I ran into Eagle at practice. He said the ball hit the ground. It was a good call.

Bad call by us. And thanks, Zach, for sticking up for the official.

Voices carry:
Coach Jon Eagle said his team still has plenty to work on as it prepares for the final two regular-season games and then the playoffs. The Papermakers were flagged 12 times for 115 yards on Friday. At one point, the Papermakers faced a first-and-39 after a series of penalties. (Didn’t matter. Camas got a first down in two plays and would score on the drive, but that is beside the point.)

One person associated with Camas schools had a theory as to why so many penalties were called. (Nope. I’m not naming names, but I promise it was no one on the coaching staff.) Anyway, this gentleman blamed the public address system at Doc Harris Stadium. You see, the referee was miked up and his calls could be heard through the speakers.

(This was awesome, by the way. I hope more high school stadiums go to a similar system.)

However, our anonymous friend said he just figured the referee enjoyed the sound of his own voice so much, he kept throwing flags.

He was joking! I promise! It was a joke!

Now what?
The Papermakers are 7-0, winning by an average of a lot to a little, and have games with Heritage and Battle Ground left on the schedule. Can’t overlook the Tigers. They have been playing good football. But I think most would agree that Camas “should” win the next two games.

So this victory over Union, another ranked team, sent a message.

“It was a good glance into what we can do,” Beasley said, when asked about November and possibly December.

Beasley said the Papermakers do a good job every week of just focusing on that “faceless” opponent, but he also acknowledged they are human.

“We’re not going to look ahead too much, but we’ll be looking a little,” Beasley said.

Erasing a bad memory:
(Paul Valencia here, with this note. The rest come from Rene Ferran, who as at this game for us.) … Earlier this season, I told the Battle Ground coaches to make sure their players never leave the end zone until the official signals touchdown and then takes the ball out of their hands. If you recall, last year’s Battle Ground-Heritage game ended in controversy. The Tigers thought they had scored the winning touchdown, twice. The officials thought otherwise, twice. Anyway, it appears there was no doubt in this one. Scoring seven touchdowns also helps!

Preparing for Heritage’s best:
Heritage quarterback Loren Standiford was injured last week and the Tigers were not sure who was going to start for the Timberwolves.

“I had heard he got banged up, but he’s their No. 1 guy, we prepared for him,” Battle Ground coach Larry Peck said. “We had a contingency plan, but you’ve got to go with your senior, your best guy, if he can go.”

Playoff hunt:
The Tigers are hoping to make the playoffs this year, but to do it, they had to avoid a letdown against Heritage.

“We’ve struggled with Heritage the last two years. To do this was big for our program and for our kids,” Peck said. “This was like a playoff game for us. That was the type of intensity we had to bring. If we want to reach the playoffs, that’s the kind of intensity we have to bring each game.”

Heritage struggling:
The Timberwolves scored 28 points last week, but could not get going against the Tigers.

Pass happy:
Skyview quarterback Zac Shomler threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Dennis was the main target, catching eight passes for 178 yards and both touchdowns.

Playoff picture:
Pretty clear that it’s a four-team battle for three playoff spots. OK, let’s just pencil in Camas as No. 1. Real stretch there, right? After that, though, a lot can happen. Skyview faces Battle Ground in Week 8 and then Union in Week 9. Win those two games, and Skyview is No. 2 in the league.

The Chieftains did not score in the first quarter Friday night, then more than made up for it by scoring the next five touchdowns for the easy win over the Falcons. Columbia River forced seven turnovers and also had a defensive touchdown when Jeffrie Ringold returned a fumble 85 yards to make it 35-6.

Already looking forward to Week 9!

(The Mountain View-Bay notes here are courtesy Paul Danzer.)

Flags:
Hudson’s Bay and Mountain View combined for 215 penalty yards. At one point, the Thunder were flagged for a total of 45 yards on two plays. At another point, the Thunder were called for defensive holding on three consecutive plays.

Bay QBs:
Jeremy Matheny left the game during Bay’s second drive of the game with an injury, believed to be an issue with the collarbone. Stone Sabourin came in and threw two TD passes for the Eagles, one to Anthony Sanchez and the other to DeWayne Whitley. Both were fourth-down throws. Sabourin and Matheny are both sophomores.

Turnover time:
Mountain View defenders intercepted four passes Friday. Phillip Rudolph got one in the red zone to stop a Bay scoring threat. Eddie Richardson had one that he returned 25 yards for a touchdown.

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That’s it for this week. Remember, go to 360preps.com to click on links for all the games, including that Washougal win over Aberdeen. Heard that was a long fourth-down play that won it for the Panthers. We have stories on Woodland and La Center winning easily, but I guess we could say that every week. I know most of Southwest Washington is talking about Camas being the best 4A team in Washington. Well, it’s also possible that two of the top 1A teams in the state are in Southwest Washington, too.